Dark and Light
by adriancullen
Summary: What would happen if Vampires were known to exist in our society? How would they be treated in a Human dominated culture? What if one man and one vampire dared to look past the hate? Twilight/Watchmen Crossover. OC/Adrian Veidt. Slash. R&R plz!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is the first chapter of a long cross-over fic! My friend and I will be taking turns writing the chapters. It was an idea we got while thinking about how difficult it would be to be in a Vampire-Human Relationship in the real world... I love Watchmen and I love Twilight, so I made it a crossover! Hehe, hope you enjoy.**

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The sun reached its zenith and as the long, summer shadows began to recede into hollow pools of darkness beneath the feet of loiterers and travelers, a man handed another man a book.

"Hello again. Would you like a free book?"

For it was "Free-Book Day" in New York's Upper East Side, and he had been handing out literature since mid-morning. And as the sun rose higher, he began to weary of the heat and the questioning looks of Manhattanites, who handled his books as though they suspected anthrax might be hidden between the pages.

"I have one already," said the latter man, holding up a copy of the latest _Twilight_. On its cover lay the same man, half naked, chest exposed, glistening with sweat. In his palm he held an apple, and in his eyes a look of temptation and seduction.

"I'll trade you," the first muttered. He took the book from the second without asking, readily handing him a copy of _The Odyssey_ in its place. His name was Adrian Veidt; he was tall, slender, and pale. His blonde hair and blue eyes made him Aryan, and the surrounding Light aura made him also unmistakably Human. The other smirked at this, and as Adrian's eyes glazed over, he did his best to suppress a longing sigh for the Adonis-like man decorating the cover of _Twilight: Dusk Dream._

Taking notice, he flashed Adrian a perfect smile, his long canine teeth serving to confirm what his Dark aura had already suggested: Vampirism. He adroitly tapped the book Adrian had given him. "Not enough action. Total crap," he thought to himself, but as he glanced back at the fierce Human so openly admiring him, he couldn't help but smile once more.

"I loved it. Is there any way I could reward you for such kindness?" His every inflection tinged with charm, and to Adrian, he may as well have been speaking words from the spirit of Homer himself.

"...I also have the Alexander Pope translation in my car, if you would like to read that one as well? Do you speak Greek? I believe I have the original Greek version somewhere too..." He was not normally so awkward, and as he became aware of his digression, he quickly forced himself to a conclusion. "You don't have to do anything to reward me; I never expect anything in return. Seeing someone genuinely enjoy literature is enough."

Through out the speech, the man, whose name was Joe Cullen, only held the same broad smile still in the air, teeth glittering like the last drop of light before twilight evaporates into night. He was dark skinned, as if to match his dark aura, and his body was tall and built, reminiscent of the ancient warriors Adrian had always so admired in literature and art; his voice sonorous, like that of a commanding god.

He then snapped his fingers and a football appeared in his hands. With the grace of a trained athlete, he drew back and tossed the ball to Adrian, who could only blink in surprise as the ball hit him in the chest, though still managed to catch it on instinct. Next, Joe suddenly came charging, twice Adrian's weight, and six inches taller; his robust body toned and beautiful.

Needlessly, Adrian quite easily and happily allowed himself to be tackled, taking the opportunity to stare deep into dark eyes; the cloudless blue sky above fading into background, and the lingering sun framing Joe's head like a halo. His eyes seemed capable of penetrating into the very depths of Adrian's soul, and though neither were fully aware of it, their lips soon began gravitating towards one another, drawn like opposite electrical charges.

The sun sank westward, warming Adrian's cheek, and as somber church bells cracked once, Adrian suddenly broke away, pushing Joe off with surprising ease for someone so slight in appearance. He stood with wide, frantic eyes, brushing tousled hair back into place as best he could.

Joe looked hurt, and after a moment, Adrian began to explain with a voice only slightly lighter than usual, "Oh, Joe. We mustn't. Don't you understand? I'm a human, and you..." He stopped to look at the ground, but eventually forced himself to at least meet the other's eyes, "You're a vampire. What will people say?"

Joe Cullen's dark aura then shone, not alone, but together with the bright, enchanting aura of Adrian Veidt. To him the barriers suddenly meant nothing, the color of auras: nothing. Not when the grass had been so soft beneath them, the sun so warm on their skin, the air so calm, and Adrian so fucking fierce. That afternoon love belonged not to vampires, nor to humans, but to hearts, and the hearts of vampires beat just as much as the hearts of humans, and they love just as much.

"Adrian. I can't keep my eyes on you. I can't keep them off of you. You're like no human I've seen before. I thought that all your species was good for was a quick fling... But I don't want your blood! I want your love! All of it! Forget what they say! I love you, Adrian, and I will love no other human!"

Elsewhere, a Human corpse lies lifeless and drained of all blood in a cold, dark alley. She won't be found until late the next morning. Outside of town, an elderly vampire swings from a birch tree, a stake in his broken heart. His family will never know retribution. Someone drops a rose at the grave of a comrade, and in Brooklyn a human child asks why she can no longer play with the Von P. Diddys. But for a moment, in a field in Central Park, a human met vampire, and there was peace at last.

"And, God, Joe's lips are beautiful," Adrian thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: This is the chapter where the exciting stuff happens! Get ready, guys! It's an adventure!!!!**

Living life in a world dominated by Humans had taught Adrian that just like oil and water, Vampires and Humans were completely immiscible, meant to form bonds only with their own separate species. It was law, and in the world of Human ideology, it was also nature. The way the State saw it there was no difference between the two, and neither was there anything to be done about it.

Yet nothing in life had ever excited him so much as that tender embrace with the devilishly good looking Joe Cullen. It brought back a childish sense of rebellion in him, a lingering desire to spite his deplorably racist and bigoted parents; parents who had always refused to see him as anything other than "slightly above average" in intelligence: a great insult to his genius.

And then there was the way Joe's kiss felt so passionate, so confident, and yet so wonderfully gentle. Mixed with the hazy lethargy of the afternoon, it gave Adrian the impression that nothing else mattered except the soft sensation of those Vampire lips against his own.

It was so different from his typical nightclub liasions. Joe was far too good looking, he decided. He would have to be careful, lest he end up falling for this debonair vampire. After all, it was not everyday one met a man who read and enjoyed Homer...

And with that thought, Adrian found himself melting into Joe's arms.

Eventually, the two broke away, Adrian unwrapping his arms from around Joe's neck. He stared upwards into the other's placid face. Then he smiled, but only slightly.

"You are lovely. I must admit, I'm shocked that you would prefer me over that girl you were so enamored with earlier... But ever since Bruce Wayne broke my heart, I am hesitant to start a relationship with anyone. You understand, don't you, darling?"

Joe rested his perfectly shaped, luscious head against Adrian's shoulder. If the HHH ever saw them together like this, they would never see each other again, and that would be the best case scenario. But with the taste of vanilla still lingering upon his lips, Joe yearned for that white chocolate kiss once more.

"I know we can't be together, Adrian... But I just want you to know, every time I made love to a human, I closed my eyes and saw your face. Every time that I made a half Oreo, I pretended that it was our Oreo! I will always think of you, and no human will ever match you... I've never kissed anyone so fierce... so fucking fierce." His smile opened like heaven's gates, and Adrian knew he couldn't say no.

"You are very attractive as well... If only we could... No. I don't want to rush into a physical relationship. I mean, I hardly even know you... But perhaps we could go somewhere and talk?"

A cold mist like that of a king's diamond bath began to shroud them both. They vanished and appeared in a far off land that Joe soon recognized as the Vampire's sacred realm: a place of solemn darkness which began to fill with light, for the light of love generates a light brighter than any aura. Adrian entwined his fingers with Joe's as magical music composed by Danny Elfman began to play.

The vampire realm was beautiful, now that the light of their love had begun to cascade over the darkened hills and shriveled trees, transforming what was once a land teetering towards death and haunted by loss, into something resembling a new Eden. The pair looked at each other and smiled. From those smiles and from the pure joy they alone possessed light suddenly burst forth across the land, covering it once and for all.

From the newly radiant sky came Vampire Goddess Venus, breaking through clouds, as the Danny Elfman music reached its crescendo. In her arms she held the fated shield crafted by Count Vulcan himself. Human and Vampire located, she descended, making no effort to hide her heavenly visage, allowing both lovers to glimpse Beauty's true form.

"Behold," she said, "perform'd in ev'ry part,

My promise made, and Vulcan's labor'd art.

Now seek, secure, the bigoted enemy,

And haughty Humans to the field defy."

She lay the shield beneath an oak tree for their admiration. Adrian and Joe crowded close and witnessed amidst the blazing gold scenes crafted by fate: first a Human-Vampire embrace, then a battle with Vampire taking arms against Human and Human taking arms against Vampire, next followed a destruction of the like not seen since Illium, fallen Kings, lost sons, grieving mothers on both sides, and then, finally, the most elegant and dazzling of all, there lay a depiction of love. Vampires leaned against humans, in their grasp, in eternal embraces; forbidden love long remembered by the gods.

"My God! We are the legendary two of vampiric lore, Adrian.... We have seen the secrets that no vampire... or man, has seen before!"

Adrian could not believe that he was being added to the ranks of Achilles and Aeneas! Especially Achilles! (Because, honestly, who cares about Aeneas?) His dream of becoming King of Kings edged closer, only now it seemed not so lonely.

"Oh, Joe. I am just so glad to be here with you! You were right, nothing matters anymore, not after this. We are meant to be together, aren't we? Our love can change things! We can set an example for all future generations: that vampires and humans can live together peacefully!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Three: In which some of Joe's tragic past is revealed... fate can be too cruel! Can they work passed the sins of their parents though?? Find out! R&R, plz!**

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_Dark and Light: Part Three_**  
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"In secret we met  
In silence I grieve  
That thy heart could forget,  
Thy spirit deceive.  
If I should meet thee  
After long years,  
How should I greet thee?  
With silence and tears."  
-Lord Byron

The ground beneath them began to rise as Vampire Goddess Venus began her ascent back into the Heavens. Adrian and Joe were left alone on a grassy plateau overlooking newly green valleys and meandering rivers. Hand in hand, they watched as the dawn rose upon fertile land. In the distance the pair could already see a playground where little vampire girls and little human girls would one day sing songs, skip rope, and take turns pushing each other on swings, together.

Joe and Adrian turned towards each other, the morning sun accenting the softness of their smiles. A rose appeared in Joe's hand; he presented it to Adrian.

"For you, not just a human, but a love, who deserves not one, but all the roses in the world. May we be a tale to sooth the hearts of those who learn of our hardships, of past's hardships!"

Adrian could only a sigh a dreamy sigh, as he took the rose, holding it delicately in his hands. The view in front of him is full of grass and trees, and the sun rose here, just as it would anywhere else; there is little difference between here and Central Park, he reasoned. Yet it was different; it stood in such contrast to the world he was familiar with, a world filled with strife, where violence rains down upon the innocent daily, and prejudice rules along with superimposed ideologies and false dichotomy... If only the others could see past it all to the raw color and beauty of something so simple as a day mixing with night; the raw color and beauty that always lay just beneath the surface of things, hidden in the form of some long forgotten, simian emotion, or perhaps just a long forgotten, longing for emotion.

Perhaps, if they could, Adrian reflected, he would no longer need to eventually fry their asses with a giant squid.

The thought distressed him, but as he glanced down at the rose in his hands, his murderous thoughts began to fade.

"That's so sweet of you. No one has ever been so terribly sweet to me before.... You are so much more than just a terribly good looking, dark skinned vampire. You are wonderful and poetic and you can read books just by tapping them. Lets stay here for a while. Do you mind?"

Joe's deep and sultry vampire voice whispered into Adrian's ear, "Of course we can. We can stay here for as long as want. Thank you for what you gave me, too: a flower that blooms much more beautifully than any lone rose." He stares at Adrian, his teeth like cavernous crystal, white shining through darkness.

"I'm looking at that flower right now, and I think it's going to bloom longer than any other in the world, perhaps for eternity."

He lay down on the grass near Adrian, Adrian resting his head upon Joe's chest. They watched the nacreous void fill with comets, and shooting stars that would glissade across the sky and then disperse into diminutive sparks, that would then fall and vanish into the lingering darkness.

Celestial bodies moved above them, as summer shifted into winter. The constellations made their repetitive way across the sky, before they too, sank beneath the horizon, as seasons blended together, trapped in an eternal sunrise. The usual ways of keeping time slipped away from them, for time is useless in the realm of the immortals.

Joe looked to his lover, and knew, that though he was looking at a Human, the love they felt for each other would be transcendent beyond any time or space, and that this was why they had been brought here. He felt happy. He could not remember ever feeling so happy, not even while his father was still alive, back before the HHH came to take him away.

For the first time, Adrian shifted from his position cradled against Joe. He stared into the beautiful face, and saw now that it had suddenly become full of conflict and turmoil, all former tranquility gone from those usually placid eyes.

Perhaps Joe was having doubts. After all, Joe was a vampire, and Adrian was...

But then their auras shifted, darkness sifting into light, the two sides merging, the conflict forgotten in the blended harmony of yin and yang. That is, until the light bolted back, distancing itself from darkness, and then flaring into the air! The two auras snarled at each other, elongated shadows swaying menacingly as the sun began its stifling rise.

The darkness roared to Joe, voices deep and tinged with sorrow:

"Keep away from the human, son! Do not touch him! We can feel it in him! We can see the blood on his hands: that of his parents! He is the slime that crawled out of a murderer's womb..."

"Our murderer! It was his parents that had killed us! Those hooded horrors that came screaming into the night with torches that set our ashes into the night. That left you alone. He will carry on their legacy. He will murder you if you do not get away, Joe! Kill the human! Kill him now! You cannot trust him!"

Adrian felt a chill as he watched Joe's twisting features. He was beginning to feel uneasy, like he should leave immediately, before Joe had a chance to collect himself and attack... But then his thoughts drifted back to that night long ago; to the murmured voices of his parents back from another night of murder... the smell of blood heavy and exaggerated in Adrian's memory... the susurrous whispers and then the clear sound of a now familiar name... He stops himself from continuing down that path, but the possibility is all too horrible and possible not to consider.

He says nothing of it, deciding that like all his dreadful secrets, the most logical thing to do would be to forget the thought had ever occurred to him.

"...Joe?"

He reaches out to Joe's shoulder with a tentative hand.

"Is everything alright?"

As soon as Adrian's light touch met flesh, Joe whirled around. His formerly dark eyes a stark and bloody red. The black aura loomed over the white aura, ready to strike. Joe stalked towards Adrian, mouth open, fangs bared. He only stared back, unblinking, refusing to flinch, even as Joe's fangs edged ever closer to his exposed, white neck.

But then something... something life affirming came over Joe. He gripped his head between his hands, wrecked by convulsions as the red light of his eyes flickered on and off.

Adrian knew better than to interrupt. Joe was struggling with himself, with his birthright, with his very nature and identity in this strange and confused culture they had both found themselves born into.

And then Joe let out a cry so sorrowful, so full of pain, that it was heard through out the world, and each Human and each Vampire felt themselves simultaneously shudder.

With the scream, came light, spiraling forth like emetic Holiness. The floating soul of darkness sputtered in the air, dropped to the ground, and faded away. The darkness of Joe's darkness was gone. He was free. He looked at Adrian, gentle eyes stained with tears, face dripping with sweat, and then...

He smiled!


	4. Chapter 4: Bonus Chapter

**AN: Hello all! This is just a little bonus chapter to keep you busy while I am occupied writing my original novel! It's about vampires too! Teehee. If you would like to contribute to the question and answer session leave me a review and Joe and Adrian will reply in the next chapter!! **

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**Announcer**: Welcome. For many decades the Human-Vampire issue has been debated, discussed, and even fought over; blood has been shed on both sides, discourses written, laws passed, and yet even so the conflict still lingers in our society. Sponsored by the Department of Vampire Studies, we invited two guest speakers to hold a public discussion on the origins of the conflict, its manifestations in modern culture, and what can be done to move past it once and for all!

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Adrian Veidt: philanthropist and world's smartest Human, along with Joe Cullen: respected scholar and Vampire teen-sensation!

*enthusiastic applause from the audience as the curtain rises, showing Adrian and Joe sitting next to each other, hands clapsed on the table in front of them in a dignified and confident posture. Adrian speaks first.*

**AV**: First, I would like to welcome you all once more and thank you for coming. Education and listening to one another when we speak is always the first step; afterward we will be holding a question and answer session, for Joe and I know we cannot possibly address every issue of such a complex situation in such limited time.

*More applause, whistles and screams. Adrian raises his hands in a gesture meant to indicate that he would like to begin the discussion.*

A common argument I hear from bigots is, "Why is it okay for them to call me a staker, but I can't call them a darkie?" First of all, the two words, while both being considered hate words, hold completely different connotations. For those who don't know the history of the words, they are as follows:

On the surface, "darkie" refers to the naturally dark aura of a vampire. It also has the connotation of ignorance or evil as the color black has often been used to symbolically depict such things in literature and art. Even to this day, one notices that most Humans still seem to hold what their ideology proclaims as a "natural fear of darkness." However, the subject of "darkness" and how it relates to evolutionary theory, metaphor, somatic reactions, and the human psyche is far too cumbersome a topic to grapple with for this brief argument.

Finally, "darkie" may refer to the era in time when Vampires, despised by Humans, were confined by the Count Crow laws to only go out during the night while the supposedly "civilized" people were asleep and safe from ever even having to look at such, "inferior beings."

This, of course, gave rise to the popular myth that all vampires melt or spontaneously combust if exposed to daylight.

"Staker" by contrast is a word Vampires began using to describe Humans during the rise of the HHH (Holy Human Horde). It refers to the stakes that were often found driven through the hearts of murdered Vampires.

Both words bring back a gruesome history between the two species that is sometimes difficult, but necessary, to face. However, it is important to keep in mind that Humans are still the dominant culture in our society, and though the word "staker" can sting for some, for most Humans, the time of the HHH is a now non existent reality: safely confined to their history books, as it were.

The Vampire on the other hand, must live with the past and its implications everyday: every time a human refuses to serve him at a restaurant, just because he has a set of fangs, and every time his children must receive sub par educations, because the Human dominated school system refuses to put the same effort into educating Vampire children, and every time a Human arrogantly sticks his nose up at him in the park, on the street, in museums, at the library, while at the office, or anywhere else.

What are your thoughts on this issue, Joe?

**JC**: I agree with Adrian's points. Darkie is a word that runs a gruesome gamut throughout history. It is not a simple word, hollow and meaningless; those two sadistic syllables were yelled at my ancestors as they were staked in the heart for no reason at all other than blind bigotry, so certainly I think it is a word with a more painful history than staker.

But, I do ask. Why should we use either word anymore. We are all educated. We should know better than to think through species when we are all children of this green Earth! It's time to put our minds past human and vampire and towards brother and sister! Have we not elected our first vampire president? Does he not represent all that we are capable of. All of the love that we may muster for each other? So, I say, live together, human and vampire. Forget these words, hateful and meaningless in these days where we all stand a chance, where we can remove hate from our childrens' vocabulary.

I think that we can get somewhere. I think that there is a world where we can live together in harmony. We are already one step closer. Let's take another step!!!!

**AV**: I couldn't agree with you more, Joe... I would love to see a world where we are no longer forced into social roles and labels before we even have the chance to speak for ourselves. As Louis Althusser writes, "That an individual is always-already a subject, even before he is born, is nevertheless the plain reality, accessible to everyone and not a paradox at all." We are all subjects before individuals inside the state apparatus.

However, I believe, that as we make our way past this post-modern era of question and doubt, the next step shall be true enlightenment, for nothing short could survive the brilliant critiques of our cultural critics and philosophers... Let us hope this enlightenment fits the build of the world you describe. (and that sciolistic opportunists going overly gung ho for evolutionary theory don't ruin it all)

One more question, Joe. How do you feel about certain Vampires using the term "Darkie" as a way of empowerment and unity amongst each other?

**JC**: I think that's fine. Why you ask!? Well, words have no intrinsic meaning. The offense comes in its past connotation and its history. If we change that, if we commandeer its history and change its meaning, then the word will be liberated and so will we. It will no longer belong to the bigots and they will lose their power that they had through their monopoly on the word!

It's the hate that bothers me, Adrian. The blind and horrid hate. It's the seething loathing that exists between the species and the little bits of hate that have slipped into the minds of us all when we make quick assumptions and stereotypes that have no basis!

All we need to do is THINK! If we simply think of the absurdity, and how ridiculous it is to judge a single being as a whole by defining an entire species as holding one quality (Good or bad). We are all individuals, and there will be rotten ones and virtuous ones!

**AV**: In other words, "it's not what you say, but how you say it." And you said that very well. Thank you for that, Joe.

I agree that it is the hate that must be stopped more than the word. Our culture has a habit of thinking that "bad things" will go away if only we can manage to find and say the right words. But that isn't the case because if it were we would not still be contending with these issues. Hate and bigotry is insidious and finds its way into culture through more than just words.

Again. Thank you for this discussion. *hugs and kisses!!!!*

**JC**: Yes, Adrian, I do agree. You always make such clever points, baby!

Even if we stopped saying the words, who's to say that the feeling that invokes them will just disappear. The world is more complex than that. The two species are more complex than that!

I have seen biases much deeper and sometimes much more painful than that of a simple word. When I went to college, I was looked down upon. Even though I had a 3.4 gpa in high school, everyone thought that, being a vampire, I only got into school because of affirmative action. They asked me if I only survived because of a sports scholarship. I didn't play any sports in high school! This body was the result of my own work!

The little tinges of specieism and their assumptions are pervasive and difficult to dispel. Often times, those who express such sentiments do not even know it! It's quite common too, and even the "positive speceism" is something that we must look past. Not all molemen are amazing at math! Not all werewolves are illegal immigrants! We must think more broadly. But more importantly, we must know when to think more broadly, and we must catch our own mistakes... before we make them!!!

I hope that we can hear more of your comments. Please, don't be afraid. This is a civil debate. Any viewpoint is welcome!

**AV**: Yes, and language can hold bias and bigotry even without overt hate words, like "Darkie." The famous vampire scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. once wrote an interesting essay about the place of vampires in literature; the struggle to form their own language (so to speak), and to retain their identity, or to even form their own identity, but to also be respected as serious writers in a field still dominated by Humans. After all, in our culture, acceptance begins only when one masters the Human language.

It is the same with women sometimes; Virginia Woolf once wrote in her essay "A Room of One's Own" that even the word "I" takes on a gendered, masculine meaning in our language and literature.

**JC**: Modern culture often allows such specist transgressions to occur as well. Do you remember the days when human actors would go into dark face and put on plastic fangs in what would be an egregiously offensive display these days? Yet the stereotypes do continue and so do portrayals based entirely upon species. In the horror film, the vampire always dies first.

In other films, the vampire is portrayed as bloodthirsty and stupid, and as a savage eager to get in for the kill and to steal away the human woman for his lecherous and sadistic pleasure. It still goes on, but how often do we talk about it? It needs to be spoken of, otherwise, even vampires will not notice!

**AV**: Yes it does. Even in noble attempts to portray Vampire history, history itself is still mostly interpreted and constructed by Humans.

For example, did you know that Vampires may have discovered America long, long, before Columbus did? (And even other Europeans before Columbus, for that matter) The Olmec statues in Mexico appear to have fangs, yet this history goes unheard of in most public schools. Instead of only teaching about the oppression that your species once had to experience, I think it would do wonders for the self esteem of young Vampires if they knew some of the great accomplishments their ancestors made.

Learning some of the names and plights of the Human abolitionists could also help young Human children improve their own self-esteem by alleviating some of the guilt history can't help but force upon us.

I also remember exactly the kind of films you are talking about: "The Birth of Day," and "Gone with the Night." We can be glad that at least in today's culture, Humans are beginning to recognize those stereotypes as objectifying. Unfortunately, the objectification has yet to go away; we still have the vampires dying first in horror movies scenario that you mentioned.

Since we already know these things are "bad," I think we should not be content to merely condemn them as bad, but to also try and figure out what in our culture is allowing these things to continue.

I, personally, would like to see more films about vampires where being a vampire is not portrayed as some kind of gimmick, or where vampires are allowed more substance and development, rather than just having to act as objects to give depth to the Human characters.

**JC**: I agree with you, and you are right, we cannot say what the intentions were with the constructs, but only that they were created. What strikes me as unfortunate is that so much of the Vampiric experience has been relegated to discourse. What it means to be a vampire is stripped of actual experiential meaning when so much has been written about it. Are we doing much better? I suppose that I wouldn't know.

I do agree with that last point. You can have a tale about a Human that has many flavors, but so much about being a Vampire is stripped to cliches. The very tale of these is being a vampire, instead of a simple story of a Vampire. Not only this, but they tend to stereotype or glamorize, instead of providing a portrayal of a normal life.

It's just as much awful for us at times, and just as good at times, like any other life. The Vampire is just another species, and not a unique lifeform; it seems that film has yet to understand that. They cannot merely have a Vampiric character, but must have a Vampiric "tale," so often steeped in overdone cliches.

Look at Vampsploitation films, which used us and the conscience of the human to make us out to be some outlandish breed of species that is so different from the humans. Or the noble savage genre, saying that we are pure because we are stupid. We are just as faulty, as any other species. I apologize for my digressions and my ranting, but it needs to be said!

**AV**: Also, when writing about "what it means to be a vampire," one can't help but add to mythology; whether that is good or bad. We as individuals exist as a logical extension of history, and as products of our ancestor's experience. We understand ourselves on those terms, and that is the nature of our subjectivity. Yet what we really need to understand is that history is just another text full of ideological constructs.

And no, don't apologize, darling. You know how I love listening to your opinions on such matters. And you are absolutely right about the film industry steeping your culture in cliches.

You know, another common stupidity I hear amongst humans is, "How come they get a VET Network, but if we had an HET Network, we'd be called speceist!"

Your thoughts?

**JC**: Yes, and if they argue that position, then why don't they just throw in Human history month because we have a Vampire history month. That they deserve Human pride because we have Vampire pride. Well, we are as much a culture, and an enclave, and with that, do we not have certain liberties? When we were told that being a Vampire was bad, and that it made us lower than any Human, then do we not feel free when we can finally scream to the world: "DARK IS BEAUTIFUL!!!"

As soon as we shared a common destiny, as so much of our species was put in the slave ship, we became a culture. You can speak about your American pride, English pride, European pride, but are we not entitled to speak of Vampiric-American pride? It's our right. Have we not suffered enough to speak for ourselves and to be proud! I... I AM PROUD TO BE A VAMPIRE!

**AV**: *He beams at Joe's speech. He is so happy to have this beautiful, passionate, and intelligent man as a boyfriend!*

And I'm proud to be with a vampire... I'm proud to be with you. *Another hug! Oh, you can feel the love!*

**JC**: *He stares deeply into Adrian's lusciously livid eyes. His heart thumps, and his mind rushes with wondrous words.

"Oh, God, Oh God, I love him sooooo much. I want his lips, I want his heart, I want his head on my shoulder as we whisper our deepest darkest secrets into the night. I want his love, I want all of it!"

He kisses Adrian's perfect lips. He wants this fierce bitch. He wants him bad!*

**AV**: *He returns the kiss, because, oh god, Joe is just so irresistible! But eventually the moment fades and intelligence returns to Adrian. Now is not the time or place for making love. He gently pushes against that MANLY chest of Joe's and breaks away.*

....The problem with Humans demanding an HET is that it's nothing short of hypocrisy. The reason there exists a VET in the first place is that Vampires have been forced by Humans to exist outside the main Human culture; they were forced to live only during the night, and were unable to ever speak for themselves. They have been made into a sort of "otherness" by Human ideology, and as the ruling ideology, virtually every channel is "HET" even if it is not explicitely named so.

**JC**: Exactly, everything is already a sort of Humanness. I do ask, as well, what would be on this HET: Full House? We have been allowed to foster our own culture, when it is all that we had, when we belonged with nobody else. We are a culture that share a common past, while the Humans have their many cultures and thus none exactly for Humans at all.

**AV**: You won't believe this when I tell you, but once I was watching television with a business acquaintance of mine who had, rather unfortunately, taken a liking to me. The satirical show "The Boondocks" was on, and he looks to me, and says, "Wow. This show is an excellent way to learn about Vampires." *He sighs.*

**JC**: Wow, how simply absurd! I suppose that you can learn about Humans through the Brady Bunch then! Often times people forget that it's Humans who determine what's Vampiric. It's also easy to forget the real upper management behind VET. Identity sells, Adrian... Identity sells.

**AV**: Don't I know it...

I know exactly what you mean. People think they are getting a dose of "genuine" Vampire culture when they see a few cheaply made, mass produced coffins for sale outside of Dracula's castle. It's really quite sad what a tourist trap the place has become; it's almost entirely deprived of any real culture. Pictures and Human-made mythos replace the "real" thing creating a hyperreality. When one visits such places one must be prepared to reclaim the experience for themselves.

**JC**: Even growing up, I was told illustrative conceptions by other Vampires about what it means to be a Vampire. Often, we trap ourselves in our own framework, our own little disneyland exhibit of what is. But do I need to prove myself to some kind of idea, some abstract notion grounded in little biases?

Am I not a true Vampire because I love a Human? No. I will have no Human, nor any Vampire tell me what it means to be one! I don't know what it means! I don't care! *He tightens his grip on Adrian's hand* All that matters is being with you...

**AV**: *Looks into Joe's intensely passionate eyes and... kiss kiss!*

**JC**: *Returns the kiss, wrapping his arms around Adrian, as the curtain lowers and the discussion ends*

Announcer: Wow, was that ever enlightening! Thank you all once again for attending, and as promised, Adrian and Joe shall be back shortly to answer any lingering questions and to address any issues that you feel may have been unintentionally glossed over or missed. Once more, thank you all.

*He smiles and bows before exiting the stage... And now it is time for a commercial break! A screen lowers and a voice comes booming through out the auditorium*

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*The commercial ends, the screen rising, and the announcer returning*

**Announcer**: We now return to our regular scheduled programming. And our first question is...?


End file.
